Resin pre-treatment of plisse fabrics



Jan. 13, 1959 J. w; HOI JTH RESIN FEE-TREATMENT or PLISSE FABRICS Filed Oct. 21, 1954 ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice RESIN PRE-TREATMENT F PLISSE FABRICS Joseph W. Houth, New York, N. Y., assignor'to United Merchants and Manufacturers, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application October 21,1954, Serial No. 463,712

7 2 Claims. (Cl. 28-74) Withthe above and other objects in view, as will be apparent, this invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

' The drawing comprises a diagrammatic illustration.

of amethod and means for applying the plisse stabilizing resin to the cloth before the shrinkage agent, thus in effect pre-finishing the fabric before it i plissed.

.As is known in the trade, the art of plisseing involves a considerable number of steps from the time the bale of cloth in the greige is opened until the last step of packing the-.plissed good. For example, the first step normally isreferred to as the layout, i.'e., thebale containing a plurality of pieces of cloth in the greige, that is, un-

. printed and undyed as it comes from the weaving mill or 100111 to-the printing or.dye house, is opened up and the several pieces of cloththerein are sewn end-to-end together {so as to make one long, continuous length of material to be processed.

After joining the pieces to form only one of extended 1 length, the goods are run through a greige washer in the be carried out by the application of a shrinkage agent to selected areas only. Sodium hydroxide or caustic is a well-known shrinking agent. After the caustic has'acted on the fabric, that is, on the portions thereof that have been printed or otherwise subjected to the shrinking agent, it is found that the untreated or unprinted portions are puckered, ,thusproducing thefullness characteristic of the seersucker or wavy, plisse effect desired.

1 One object of the present invention is to produce plisse goods with washfast pucker effect by a method that comprises or includes the steps of applying resin to the ,cloth and framing it widthwise before the shrinkage agent is applied and before the plisse pattern is formed therein. A:further object is to control effectively widthwise dimensions of cloth intended to be plissed, by the application thereto of synthetic resins of the thermosetting and/or thermoplastic type prior to the step of applying the shinkage agent that causes the crinkle in the fabric. A still further object is an improved method of plisseing cloth, especially cottons or cotton-containing goods in the piece, which involves substituting the step of'applying synthetic resin, by printing it onto the material or applying it all over as by dunking the cloth in an allover bath, for' the conventional step of final framing after shrinkage has taken place.

bleach house. If the material is intended to be subsequently printedv instead, of being dyed, then it is cusomarily run through what is called a continuous J-box bleaching unit of the type illustrated in U. S. Patents 2,482,497 and 2,613,338. If the cloth is later to be dyed instead of printed, it is normally boiled and bleached in a stationary kier.

'Following the bleaching the cloth being processed may be dried on drying cans, running over a serie or bank of these heated cans which quickly removes all or a good portion of the moisture remainingafter the step of bleaching in the J-box or in the kier. After drying, the goods are ready for printing or dyeing into plain shades, as may be desired.

Then according to the present invention, in the case ofplain shade material, the dyed cloth in the piece is impregnated with resin, as for example in a padder or other resin-applyingmeans, and framed out to full width; that is to say, the fabric is put under widthwise tension after it comes out of the padder.

Simultaneously with the framing, the resin impregnated cloth may be cured as by means of its passage through an oven or other heated chamber. Alternatively, the step of curing the resin in the pre-treated cloth may take place afterthe goods have been framed out to width.

Another object is the elimination of the step of framand conventional methods, while shortening the steps of the procedure and eliminating at least one of the usual steps of such procedures.

It hasbeen found that where the resin is not applied to the cloth, it is necessary to frame the goods to the desired width after plisseing; and two disadvantages of this step are that this framing has the effect of damaging the pucker by pulling it out upon the application of widthwise tension to the sides or selvage edges of the fabric being processed, and secondly, this framing constitutes another step which really is unnecessary if the resin is applied before the shrinking. It further appears that where framing after plisseing is employed, such framing renders the plisse effect less washfast than it is where the resin is applied and there is no framing after the'step of shrinking.

It will be understood, of course, that the curing or in solubilizing of the resin within the fibers of the im-v pregnated cloth is indicated or required only in the event that the resin compound or substance is of the so-called thermosetting type requiring the application of heat, with or without a catalyst, to effect resin hardening or setting. As. Will appear hereinafter, in practising the present in vention the preferred impregnating bath contemplates not a thermosetting resin, but rather a treating bath comprising polyvinyl alcohol, which, for convenience herein, may'also be termed a resin, but which definitely does not require a heat setting. The invention also proposes running the material to be pre-finished through a bath containing thermosetting resins; for example, those of the ethylene urea type or urea formaldehyde, and/or melamine formaldehyde type; and, of course, resins of such characterare thermosetting and call for the step of curing following the impregnation, or, if desired, simultaneously with, or following the framing of the goods subsequent to impregnation and partial drying, as previously set forth above.

If the. goods are printed rather than plain shade dyed, there is a variation in the procedure whereby the cloth first is aged in order to fix therein its printed color, and then is soaped so as to remove the printing gums and Patented .Jan. 13, 1959 excess deposits of color printing composition. Then the printed, aged, and soaped goods are impregnated as by passage through a bath containing any suitable resinous impregnating'agent, just as'in the case of the dyed cloth. Afterv emerging from the impregnating zone the print goods. may be partially dried as on a bank of. drying cansfand then framed out to Width by means of a tenter or other "width tensioning' device. the

same time, or subsequently, as may be desired, further heat' may be applied to the printed goods asin an oven or other heatingchamber for the purpose of completing the drying, and also to cure the resin'in' situwithin the fibers making up the cloth. It will be. understood, of course, that the curing step is not required if the preferred impregnating agent, namely, polyvinyl alcohol, 'is used in the treating bath, and it will be, further understood, conversely, that if the impregnating bath comprises one or more thermosetting resin agents, then thestep of heat-curing is required.

After the consecutive or simultaneous steps of framing and curing, or after the single step. of framing without curing (in the case of polyvinyl alcohol or other nonthermosetting impregnating composition) both the dyed and printed goods may go directly to the plisse range and the plisseing apparatus proper. Alternatively, before being fed into the plisse apparatus, the goods may be pre-shrunk as by sanforizingon a Palmer machine, or by i any other pro-shrinking device or composition. Additively, the cloth may otherwise be finished or treated, according to the customers" orders or specified instructions.

Thus according to the present invention, there is provided what is essentially a one step'operation, namely, pre-treatment of the cotton goods with resin prior to forming a plisse pattern therein, with the result that the conventional final framing can be, and is omitted. Fur- 4 understood that at this stage or point, the cloth already has been bleached and dyed, or bleached, printed,

aged and soaped, as the case may be, and at least partially dried, so as to prevent smearing or migration of the dyestufi or printing composition. Any suitable power means, for example a motor (not shown) may be utilized for pulling the cloth 1!) out of the box or truck 11. As the cloth 10 leaves the box 11 it is carried or trained over fixed guides 13, '14, the arrangement thereof being such as to convey. the traveling cloth l tl from the truck 11 to a padder unit 15' comprising aresin or other pre-finishing composition containing box 16 accommodating a pair of coacting. rollers 17-18 rotatably j driven by any suitable means (not shown) so as to form a nip 19 therebetween through which the cloth 10 passes and wherein it picks up and is impregnated with a deposit of the resin composition 20 contained in the pad box 16. I V

'A typical pre-finishing or resin-mix formula and method of preparing the same is as follows:

18,1bs. of Elvanol 7260; and U 5lbs. of Catalyst AC; and i 10 lbs. of S. T. Softener 421; andmade up to 150 gallons total, by adding water according to the procedure below.

Draw. about 2540 gallons of water at 60-70 F.- intothe mixing tank, add the118 lbs. of72-60 Elvanol and disperse thoroughlybyagitating with compressed air oljwithfa Lightnin? mixer. Bring to. volumev of 100 gallons. by; adding more. water, and heat to 1807190? F. with live steamv until the Elvanol is dis: solved.-. Dissolve-the 10 lbs; of. Softener. 421. in. 10

gallons. of boiling waterand "add'to. the mix. Bring the thermore, according to the sequence outlined above, after t the goods are bleached and dyed, or bleached and printed, there is provided, if desired, a continuous and uninterrupted sequence of operation comprising resin impregnatiom partial drying, tentering, and curing (if a thermosetting impregnating agent is used), and plisseing without final framing.

Following the passage of the goods through the plisse range, the material may be oven dried and then yarded as by a reciprocating arm or swing, inspected, folded, shaded, and packed for shipment, which is the last step in the manufacture of the cloth.

Referring now to the drawing, this indicates more or less schematically a modus operandi for applying resin to the cloth and framing it out to width, before it .enters the apparatus which imparts the plisse or seersucker eflect. As shown therein, the cloth is removed in the piece from a storage cart or other source of supply, and then is sent through the padder, over a bank of drying cans to remove latent moisture, through a framing device and through a curing chamber, if the cloth has been impregnated with a heat settable stabilizer, and from thence onto a take-up roll for temporary storage or subsequent transfer to the plisse range or apparatus. In practice, of course, if desired, the whole operation may be a unitary. and uninterrupted one, with the cloth moving directly from the printing units or dyehouse or other steps immediately following the printing or dyeing to the padder, Without being brought to an intermediate rest on a cart or truck just prior to entering the padder. Similarly. if desired, the framed and cured goods may,

without interruption or stoppage, go directly to the mix to gallons .by adding cold water. Addwtheilbs; of Catalyst AC and. mix thoroughly. i

Elvanol? is a trademark name given to a product of the E. ,I. du Pont ,de Nemours & Company, Inc. covering a. group of water soluble. polyvinyl alcohol synthetic resins which are.white to creamy-white powders. numbers 7260 refer to the degree of hydrolysis in a certain viscosity. Catalyst AC is a product of Mon.- santo Chemical Company comprising mixed isopropanol amines, concentrated (36%) HCl and water. S..,T. Softener 42l is a productof the Southern Chemical Company and comprises diethanolamine, stearic acid, urea, glacial-acetic acid, and water. Lightnirf is a trademark name of a high speed agitator manufactured by the Mixing Equipment Co., Inc. of Rochester, New York- An alternative suitable formula for theresin applicae tionis as follows:

out agent,

Another formula .found satisfactory, especially if it is desired to give the cloth firmnessof hand, is as follows: i i

60 lbs. of Diapene U," a thermosetting resin made by the Quaker Chemical Co.

6 lbs. of Diapene U Catalyst, namely,di-ammon ium phosphate. I v

35 lbs. of corn starch.

Addwater to a volume of 150 gallons total solution.

Que relative advantage. of the-,las t twoformulas .of res n treating solution is' that both require fcuringpfsince both the Diapene U resin and the Rhonite arelog a The,

plissed.

thermosetting character, whereas'the resin Elvanol of the first formulation is not thermo'setting but thermoplastic,

and does not require curing as such.

As previously mentioned, a preferred treating solution is that which comprises Elvanol, or polyvinyl alcohol, Catalyst AC and Softener 421, in an aqueous solution, and without the corn starch; Sometimes, as for example in the case of sulphur blacks, naphthol navies, reds the stabilizing resin, either all-over, in the form of a bath in which the cloth being pre-finished is dunked or immersed, and by local application of the resin as by printing. The all-over application with a padder device is the preferred method of application. ,Other re-wetting agents besides the Twitchell Oil 7260 may be used for the sulphur blacks, etc. Examples of suitable substitutes are Triton X-l00, made by Rohm & Haas Company, and Ahcowet RS, made by the Arnold Hoffman Company.

It is further noted that by using Elvanol or polyvinyl alcohol as the resin in the treating bath prior to framing and subsequent plisseing, not only is the curing step which the urea formaldehyde type resins involve avoided, but also the objectionable odors sometimes attendant upon the UP resins are also absent. Furthermore, it appears that where the UF resin is used with corn starch in the treating solution, such resin reacts with the starch and thereby forms a polymer-coating on the surface of the fibers of the cloth which makes it difficult for the caustic soda subsequently applied to penetrate the fabric.

In the preferred treating solution, comprising polyvinyl alcohol, Catalyst AC and Softener 421, the catalyst is not used for the purpose of polymerizing the resin, for that type of resin, as stated, requires no curing, but the catalyst serves the function of rendering the resin partially water insoluble on drying of the resin-impregnated cloth. This is not the same thing as curing, although the result may be very similar, namely, insolubilization of the resin in situ.

With regard to the suitability of resins other than polyvinyl alcohol, urea formaldehyde and/ or melamine formaldehyde type resins have been found satisfactory in the practice of the present invention, as are also the ethylene urea type resins, that is to say, dimethylolethyleneurea, and certain other dimethylol derivatives, namely, dimethylol, 1,2-propyleneurea, dimethylol 1,3-propyleneurea, dimethylol 1,3-butyleneurea, and dimethylol 2,3- butyleneurea. Moreover, mixtures of such compounds may be incorporated in the resin pre-treating bath.

Referring again now to the drawing, the cloth may be conducted into or toward and away from the nip 19 of the padder rolls 1718 by means of small guides 21 and 22; and after passing under the latter guide 22 the fabric, now pre-treated or impregnated with a stabilizing resin of the character described may be led up into a bank of drying cans 23 which are heated to a temperature sufiicient to remove at least the major portion of the moisture in the fabric. From thence the material is led under another small guide 24, after which it is gripped by a conventional pin or clip tenter frame 25 which passes through a heated oven 26 for further drying and/ or curing by heating. After its emergence from the framer or tenter 25, the cloth 10 is taken past a series of guides 27 to a take-up roll 28. The pre-finished cloth 10 remains on the take-up roll 28 until it is ready to be If desired, of course, the material it) may go There are, in general, only two methods of applying directly from the framer 25 an d oven 26 to the plisse range without being temporarily wound up on the take-uproll.

In practising the present invention, it has usually been found desirable to incorporate with the: caustic in the plisse bath a penetrant, or an assistant agent for insuring that the alkali effectively reaches and contacts the cloth being treated. To that end, the penetrant known as Eu-.

mercin HRH, made by the Warwick Chemical Company, has been found suitable for the purpose; From about Mt. percent to about 1 percent by volume of the Eumercin is added to the aqueous caustic solution. The chemical composition of the Eumercin penetrant for the cloth is as follows:

70% or 700 parts of naphthol 20% or 200 parts of naphthonic acid 10% or parts of hexylene glycol It will be understood, of course, that penetrants other than Eumercin may also be utilized to assist the action of the caustic on the fabric.

The concentration of the caustic is usually a little below 50 per cent, and within the effective range of from about 40 percent to 50 percent by weight maximum. The tem'- perature of the caustic solution preferably should be of the order of from about 90 to about On adding the caustic to the water, in preparing the plisse mix, heat is generally exothermically generated, thereby raising the temperature of the water, and ordinarily no other heating is required. In case it is necessary to supply heat, then the caustic may be heated with a closed steam coil in a small feed tank at the plisse apparatus where the caustic solution is prepared.

It is further pointed out that other known swelling agents for cotton may be substituted for the caustic. When used on rayon or rayon containing fabrics, however, the results are not as satisfactory as those-obtained with cotton material.

Before summarizing, it may be in order to point out that according to the present invention, after the goods have been pre-treated with a stabilizing agent and put under widthwise tension, as by tentering, and, in the case of thermosetting applications, heated cured or insolubilized, the widthwise tension may be relaxed, and the fabric can then be subjected to lengthwise tension during its passage through the plisseing apparatus. As previously indicated, only selected portions of the cloth are subjected to the caustic or shrinkage agent, and while the shrinkage agent is being applied the fabric is kept under lengthwise tension. Subsequently, the lengthwise tension is desirably slackened after the caustic has been applied but while it is permitted to continue its penetrating action on the cloth. The cloth desirably remains in a slackened condition while the shrinking agent is removed.

Summing up then, this invention proposes a method of forming permanent plisse effects in fabrics which includes the steps of running the fabric through a bath comprising essentially an aqueous solution of a prefinishing stabilizer, for example-polyvinyl alcohol, at

least partially drying the wetted. fabric, and subsequently subjecting the fabric to widthwisetension, relaxing the widthwise tension to which the fabric has been subjected, and subjecting the same to lengthwise tension, penetrating only selected portions of the fabric with a shrinking agent while keeping the fabric still under lengthwise tension, slackening the lengthwise tension on the fabric while allowing the shrinking agent to continue its penetration, and subsequently removing the shrinking agent from the fabric while the fabric remains in a slackened condition.

What is claimed is:

1. Method of forming permanent plisse effects in cellulosic fabrics which includes the steps of applying to the fabric a resin shrinkage stabilizer, and subsequently subjecting the fabric to widthwise tension, relaxing the width.

'wisetension to which the fabric has been subjected and fabric while the fabric remains in a slackened condition, I

andmai'ntaining the fabric in a vstate of relaxed widthwise tension without framing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resin shrinkage stabilizer is polyvinyl alcohol References Cited in the fileofthis patent NITED STATES PzYlElfITS-i Finlayson et a1. V May 14 1940 Corbett et al. June 10,1941 Lyern Mar; 30, 1943 Jones ,et al. -----V----- Oct. 28, 1947 Heberlein Nov. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,867,892 January 13, 1959 Joseph W. Houth It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 4, line 73, for advantage read disadvantage. Signed andsealed this 28th day of April 1959.

Attest= T. B. MORROW, ROBERT C. WATSON, Attestz'ng Officer. Gammissioner of Patents. 

1. METHOD OF FORMING PERMANENT PLISSE EFFECTS IN CELLULOSIC FABRICS WHICH INCLUDES THE STEPS OF APPLYING TO THE FABRIC A RESIN SHRINKAGE STABILIZER, AND SUBSEQUENTLY SUBJECTING THE FABRIC TO WIDTHWISE TENSION, RELAXING THE WIDTHWISE TENSION TO WHICH THE FABRIC HAS BEEN SUBJECTED AND SUBJECTING THE SAME TO LENGTHWISE TENSION, PENETRATING ONLY SELECTED PORTIONS OF THE FABRIC WITH A SHRINKING AGENT WHILE KEEPING THE FABRIC STILL UNDER LENGTHWISE TENSION, 